calories (which we’re pretty sure you’ve done
before) is also profoundly stressful and also
elevates cortisol levels.
Want to know another reason that skipping
meals and restricting your calories doesn’t
work for long-term weight loss? Because
chronically elevated cortisol sends a variety
of messages via different hormonal pathways,
all designed to do one thing—preserve body
fat. In fact, chronically elevated cortisol
levels actually erode your muscle mass,
leaving you with more fat and less muscle.
Now we have your attention.
Chronically elevated cortisol impairs
glucose uptake from the bloodstream and
enhances the breakdown of glycogen in the
liver—both leading to more glucose in the
blood. To make matters worse, cortisol also
inhibits insulin secretion from the pancreas.
Translation?